Survey on closing schools delayed

UBC expert hired to help draft questionnaire

A survey of parents in School District 48 regarding whether
schools should close during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games has been delayed
until later this month.

“The board had hoped the survey questionnaire would be ready
for distribution during the first week of April,” said school board chair Dave
Waldren.

“But preparing the questionnaire has proven to be a more
challenging task than originally anticipated.”

The delay is due in part to the concerns raised by parents at a
number of community meetings, which the board feels it must research and
understand before the questionnaire can be completed.

Those concerns have included what working parents might do with
their children if schools are closed, how the schools can take advantage of any
opportunities the 2010 Games might produce, and what impact closing high
schools might have on graduating students and exams.

“It is imperative the board gets a complete and accurate
assessment of parents’ views before it decides on whether or not to close the
schools,” said Waldren.

The school board has hired an opinion survey specialist from
the University of British Columbia to help design an impartial questionnaire.
It’s likely it will be ready the third or fourth week of April on the district
website at
www.sd48.bc.ca
with hard copies
available at the schools.

The board will take the results of the survey into account when
it makes its decision in the coming months.